Charles Rangel sues to overturn censure

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) is suing House Speaker John Boehner and six other lawmakers to overturn his censure on ethics charges, arguing that members of the House Ethics Committee withheld evidence that could’ve cleared his name.

Besides Boehner, the lawsuit in federal court in Washington also names Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), then the House Ethics Committee Chairman. At the end of the Ethics Committee’s investigation, the House voted overwhelmingly to censure Rangel. The December 2010 vote was a major embarrassment for the 40-year representative and former Ways and Means chairman.

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Rangel’s lawsuit aims to overturn that censure, according to USA Today, with the lawsuit claiming the ethics investigation involved “numerous, flagrant, knowing and intentional violations” of Rangel’s right to due process, including the committee withholding a memo written by former staffers arguing the investigation was tainted by misconduct. Had Rangel known about the memo, the lawsuit says, he would’ve immediately moved to dismiss the investigation.

The censure covered a wide range of activities, including using a rent-controlled apartment in Harlem as a campaign office, using congressional stationery and staff to solicit funds for an academic center named after Rangel and failing to pay taxes on rental income for 17 years.

A spokesman for Boehner didn’t respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg News.